Data Storage: Older Methods Remain in Use Today

The Computer History Museum's data and memory exhibits may take some IT professionals back in time -- to the earlier days in their careers.

The zip drives, floppy disks, large microchips, punch cards, laser discs and tape drives on display represent storage media through the ages. The history of data is also the history of storage.

Just because something’s old, however, doesn’t mean it’s irrelevant. Data centers around the country still use tape drives to store massive amounts of information, even though reams of tape may seem “ancient” to younger IT professionals. Big data may have increased storage volumes, but it hasn’t outgrown good old-fashioned tape.

With many educational organizations shifting their entire schedules to distance learning tools or full virtual environments indefinitely, never has the statement “we are all in this together” been more poignant.